02-26-2023 QUESTIONS TO QUELL THE FEAR OF WITNESSING
Text: Acts 1:4-11
As Christians, one of our most important tasks is to witness to others about Jesus. What does that mean? Simply that we are to tell others what Jesus has done for us and offer them the opportunity to know Him personally as their Savior. Sounds like it should be easy but the truth is it’s probably the thing that many of us are very afraid to do. Today and in the weeks ahead, I would like to share things to help remove your fears and give you confidence to carry out the important task of witnessing in the name of Jesus Christ.
Our text this morning is from Acts. To set the stage, this is the last conversation Jesus had with His disciples before He returned to Heaven. Luke writes in chapter 1:4-11: “ (4) And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said He, you have heard of Me. (5) For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence. (6) When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him saying, Lord, will You at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel? (7) And He said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His Own power. (8) But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (9) And when He had spoken these things while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked steadfastly toward Heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; (11) which also said, You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into Heaven.”
This event was the last time the disciples were with Jesus before He ascended to Heaven. Before His departure He told them that they were to witness to the world about Him. This work was to take place after they received the Promise of the Father which would give them the courage to witness and perform miracles just as Jesus did. This promise was the coming of the Holy Spirit. Here’s the thing that many of today’s Christians don’t fully understand: We have that same charge – to witness to others about Jesus. Attending church regularly is important to strengthen our faith and to fellowship with other believers. But it doesn’t end there. We have to take our faith outside of the church. And if we’re honest, that scares the daylights out of most of us. Why? Because we’re afraid of rejection, being thought of as crazy, and our lack of knowledge should we be asked questions.
Remember the disciples were eyewitnesses to all that happened to Jesus: His ministry and miracles, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His ascension. While they knew the scriptures well, He taught them more about the kingdom of God than they ever thought possible. Even so, His death caused them to scatter out of fear that they would be next. But when you consider the changes made in their lives after the resurrection and ascension, they became fearless and risked everything to spread the good news about Jesus around the world. Yes, they faced prison, beatings, rejection, and martyrdom yet they never compromised their mission to spread His message. It begs the question why would they risk their lives for something that was a fraud? They knew Jesus was alive. Their message to the world was so strong that it still survives 2,000 years and counting. Throughout history there have been many attempts to discredit Jesus, but none have succeeded. This should give us confidence in our faith and testimony and give us courage to tell others what Jesus can do for them even though so many people still doubt what we know to be true about Him.
In Jesus’ last moments on earth, we see in verse 6 that His disciples were still asking Him when Israel would be restored. His response in verse 7 was it was not for them to know the time or seasons the Father has put in His Own Power. He also promised them in verse 8 that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit which we find happened in Acts 2.
Jesus coming in human form inaugurated the Kingdom of God on earth. While here He taught about the love of the Father, and He died on the cross to pay for the sins of all who chose to accept and believe in Him. He rose from the dead, and when He returned to Heaven 40 days later, it allowed God’s kingdom to take root in the hearts of all believers through the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit that gives us to ability to witness to others about things we have not personally seen. It’s what gives us courage, boldness, confidence, insight, ability, and authority. We should never attempt to witness without calling on the Holy Spirit to help and guide us as we tell someone about the love of Jesus. If asked when Jesus will return, tell them that no man, angel, or Jesus Himself know the time of His return. That is why those who have tried to predict the date have failed. What we do know is that it is time to witness and try to win souls to Christ and that each day that passes brings us closer to His return.
The Holy Spirit spoken of in verse 8 came to each of the disciples and many others on the day of Pentecost, and that same Spirit is still here today for each of us. Every Sunday we open our service singing about the Holy Spirit. That’s not an accident. It’s to remind us that we’re to rely on the Holy Spirit to get us through every day of our life, help us live for Jesus, and give us the courage to share His message through witnessing. There is a lot of evidence today that people are searching for God. There was the two-week revival service in Tennessee and though ended, has since spread to other universities. People are hungry all over for the message of Jesus. We are to share it. Let the Holy Spirit prepare you hearts for witnessing, and I promise He will provide the words for you to use. As long as we rely on the Holy Spirit, we have nothing to fear!
Why do we have to do this? Because the One who endured the cross for us, rose from the grave for us, cried tears for us, has unending compassion for us, and is coming again for us, told us we are to do this. It’s more important than ever as evidence that we are approaching the end of times is piling up around us. People are afraid for their lives because of the lawlessness of officials in charge who allow criminals to run free without fear of consequences. The norms of life are being overtaken with ideas that make no sense to the normal person. Evil is growing unchecked. Because of this and what we know about Jesus, we should be more afraid if we don’t witness than how we will be received if we do.
God has important work for us to do for Him, but we can only do it with the power of the Holy Spirit. We need God’s timing and power to be effective in this work. We tend to take matters into our own hands and run ahead of God. But waiting is sometimes part of God’s plan. So, instead of running ahead of God and His plans, wait and listen for His instructions through the Holy Spirit.
It’s time we exchanged our fear for faith. Use the power of the Holy Spirit in obedience to Jesus’ command to His followers to tell others that there is a better way. It’s not going to be easy at first but each time you share the good news of Jesus, it will get easier. Trust the Savior to guide you and help you through the Holy Spirit. Let others know the inner peace that only can be found with trust in Jesus through the grace of God. Jesus will return to this earth one day and by using the gifts given to us to spread the gospel so that others will be able to share His love, will ensure that we will be ready to partake in the glorious return of our Savior.
As you leave this place today, I pray that the Lord will bless and keep you; that He will shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace that passes all understanding in the days ahead.